BALLET BY GIORGIO MADIA
MUSIC BY GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Choreography & Stage Direction: Giorgio Madia
Sets & Costumes: Cordelia Matthes
WORLD PREMIERE
12 May 2007, Teatr Wielki Lodz
DURATION 1:20 h | without intermission
Music from recording
CAST Monika Maciejewska (Cinderella), Gintautas Potockas (Prince), Mariusz Caban (Step Mother), Aleksander Miedwiediew and Jerzy Gesikowski (Step Sisters), Beata Brozek (Good Fairy), Principals, Soloists and Corps de Ballet of the Wielki Theater Ballet Company
2006/2007 “Golden Mask Award” for best direction of the season
2006/2007 “Golden Mask Award” for best costume and set design of the season
PREMIERE
30 April 2010, Opera Krakowska
CAST Mizuki Kurosawa (Cinderella), N.N. (Prince), Principals, Soloists and Corps de ballet of the Opera Krakow, Damiano Binetti (Musical Direction), Singers of the Opera Krakow, Choir of the Opera Krakow, Orchestra of the Opera Krakow
ITALIAN PREMIERE
3 November 2011, Balletto di Milano, Teatro Comunale Bologna
CAST N.N. (Cinderella), N.N. (Prince), Dancers of Balletto di Milano
2011 “Premio Anita Bucchi”
„Inspired by the fairy tale of Perrault, to which I stay true, my version of CINDERELLA is taking place in the fantastic world of the well-known story, but I set it into the era of the fifties, with all its stereotypes and to use the opportunity, which is connected with the prosperous post-war period. The reason why little Cinderella finds herself with a stepmother and stepsisters is shown as a shadow play in the prologue. The curtain for the first act rises on a bourgeois home, in which Cinderella is appearing in wearing a dress with the very same pattern as the wall paper of her home’s walls. This underlines her status inside the family. …“ – Giorgio Madia
CINDERELLA is a comical ballet with a story that follows the conventional plot of the fairy tale that we all know, turned in a key a little ‘more humorous’. It is based on music by Gioacchino Rossini instead of Sergey Prokofiev’s ballet, which the audience is used to. Set in the fifties, with a style of dance that ranges from classical to modern, from contemporary to acrobatic, the action has a brisk tempo. As a collage Rossini’s music is collected from his famous overtures, his youth’ sonatas, chamber music and operas such as „Cenerentola“, Guglielmo Tell“, „La scala di seta“ or „L’italiana in Algeri“. It is possible to perform the ballet not only from a recording, but also live, with orchestra and singers, the latter included in the staging. With CINDERELLA the choreographer and stage director Giorgio Madia won the prestigious Polish Golden Mask Critics Award in 2007 for the best choreography, Cordelia Matthes the Golden Mask fort he stage and costume design. The ballet was revived at the Opera Krakow (with live singers and orchestra) in 2010, and with the company of Balletto di Milano in 2011.
REVIEWS
In the Cinderella’s story told by Madia the traditional sunniness of spirit and faith in dreams are not sacrifised. We’re not going to betray whether magic tricks help them to be fulfilled, but there’ll certainly be no shortage of on stage magic: both the dancing and music enchant.
Barbara Skowrońska, en.karnet.krakow.pl, May 2011
PHOTOS